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August - Aout - Agosto 2008 Volume 4, Issue 8 |
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A HEALTHY DIET - WHAT IS IT REALLY? It suddenly dawned on me that after four years of writing our monthly newsletter HEALTH AWARENESS, I came to the realization that I have never really put into writing what I consider to be a Healthy Diet. I think it is time to remedy this by giving my readers the basic outlines of what I consider Healthy Foods and a Healthy Diet. PROTEINS The word protein comes from the Greek word "prota", meaning "…of primary importance”. Proteins are essential parts of the organism and participate in every process within the cells. Many proteins are enzymes that are absolutely vital to the metabolism. Other proteins are important in cell signaling, immune responses, and cell adhesion. Proteins are necessary in our diets, since we cannot synthesize all the amino acids we need and must obtain essential amino acids from food. Through the process of digestion, we are able to break down ingested proteins into free amino acids that are then used by the metabolism. What are good Quality Proteins? Good quality proteins include clean and lean meats such as grass fed beef, organic free range chicken or turkey, organic pork, buffalo, venison and wild game. You can also include organ meats if they come from grass fed or organic free range animals. Organic lunch meats cured without nitrates or MSG such as ham, turkey, or roast beef are also healthy and can be put into salads or sandwiches. Other healthy proteins include organic eggs, which I consider as “perfect food” because they contain all the essential amino acids as well as good fats and proteins. Wild fish such as Sockeye Salmon or fresh Halibut are very healthy proteins and can be eaten several times a week. I consider shellfish healthy as long as it is NOT farmed-raised. Avoid tuna and swordfish because of their high mercury content, and avoid farmed fish because of fungicides, soy food, and hormones that they are treated with. Other decent sources of proteins are organic dairy products, such as plain and non-flavored yogurt, cottage cheese, non-pasteurized organic milk, and raw cheeses. CARBOHYDRATES: Carbohydrates or saccharides, means "sugar" in Greek. They fill numerous roles such as the storage and transport of energy (starch, glycogen) and participate in many structural components. Additionally, carbohydrates and their derivatives play major roles in the working process of the immune system, fertilization, pathogenesis, blood clotting, and development. Carbohydrates are not essential nutrients: the body can obtain all of its energy from protein and fats.
1. High Fiber Carbohydrates are released slowly in the body. This includes whole grains such as brown rice, millet, quinoa, buckwheat and amaranth, which are gluten free. Other grains include oats, wheat, barley and rye which do contain gluten. In case of gluten intolerance, it is better to avoid the latter to allow the gut to heal. Sprouted whole grains bread such as Manna Bread or Ezekiel bread are healthier than regular breads. Naturally leavened sourdough bread is as healthy. Legumes such as beans, lentils, and garbanzo beans are also slow sugar released legumes which means that they require a limited amount of insulin to be transported into the blood stream. But, they need to be prepared properly in order to be well digested. 2. Low Fiber Carbohydrates are released faster in the body and include fruits and vegetables. This also includes desserts, sodas and candies, but as you already know, these foods are NOT in the category of what I call Healthy Foods, so I will not comment further on them. On the other hand, you may have heard me say that you can never eat too many vegetables. This is because they contain so many benefits for health. Vegetables deliver vitamins, minerals, enzymes, anti-oxidants such as beta-carotene and folic acid, and much more. You should eat from 5 to 9 servings of a rainbow color variety of vegetables, because each color in vegetables has different anti-oxidants properties. If you really cannot eat as many vegetables as recommended then you can always use a product called PaleoGreen from Designs For Health (1 tbs. per day) which will assure you that you are getting the minimum amount of daily greens. You just have to dilute it with water or mix in with your morning smoothie. It is like buying yourself an insurance policy for health. Fruits should be limited to about 2 or 3 pieces per day because they still can be very high in sugar. If too many fruits are eaten, it can raise triglycerides and glucose in the body which could lead to diabetes. As a general rule, it is better to eat carbohydrates and proteins together, as it gives a more balanced food for the brain and the muscles. It also helps building muscles after exercise. One note on Fibers: Fibers slow down the absorption of sugar and help reduce appetite. Fibers also helps the body to cleanse and thus can reduce cholesterol. Ghrelin is a hormone secreted by the stomach and the pancreas that increases appetite. Leptin is the opposite hormone secreted to signal satiation. Fibers reduce the production of Ghrelin. This means that by eating more fibers, you are reducing your appetite , balancing your hormones, and cleansing your body. I truly believe that it is worth the effort to find ways to prepare and eat high fiber foods on a regular basis. FATS: Fats are subject to a lot of controversies. Several years ago, fats were seen as the “very bad guys” and everybody thought that they were the cause of the American obesity and diabetic epidemic. This then lead to the creation of many “fad” diets which in of themselves resulted in many more problems with metabolism. Nowadays, fats are being studied again and seen with a more specific approach. However, many people are still confused and think that they should avoid fats at all cost. This is far away from the truth. Our bodies require and demand the proper amount of fats to function optimally. Even if you want to lose weight, you need to eat enough of the GOOD fats in order to stimulate your metabolism and balance your hormones. Healthy fats are the famous Omega 3’s that we find in fish (such as Salmon) and in fish oils. We also find Omega 3’s in organic grass fed beef, which is not a concept that most people are aware of. We need Omega 6’s found in olive oil, avocado, and raw nuts, and we need the saturated fats found in butter, cream, meats and fish. Fats that are detrimental to your health are: Hydrogenated or Partially Hydrogenated oils found in fried foods, chips and the like…. These are real poisons to the body as they interfere with cellular absorption and cellular function. In conclusion, the body needs Quality Food and Healthy Meals in order to stay healthy. It doesn’t mean that you need to be 100% perfect 100% of the time, but we can say that if you can follow a Healthy Diet 90% of the time, then you will stay Healthy. It is better to stay away from any extreme diet or any fad diet, as you can be sure that it will imbalance your body’s metabolism. A high protein diet can increase inflammation and stress hormones. A high carbohydrate diet will increase insulin and fat storage. A low fat diet will disrupt your satiation signals and reduce hormonal production. You need to eat healthy proteins (about 4 to 6 oz) at each meal, with some good quality fats and healthy carbohydrates. EXAMPLES OF HEALTHY MENUS: Breakfast: Breakfast should always contain healthy proteins to maintain blood sugar balance. Chose from: Lunch: Again, you need to have some type of proteins with every lunch to sustain your energy along the day, but stay light with vegetables as for the carbohydrates. Chose from: Dinner: Dinners can be lighter if you had sustainable meals for breakfast and lunch. Dinner’s ideas can be substituted for Lunch’s ideas too. Choose from: OTHER VERY IMPORTANT CRITERIA: • Avoid refined or denatured foods such as refined sugar or corn syrup; white flour; canned foods; pasteurized, homogenized, skim or low-fat milk; refined or hydrogenated vegetables oils; toxic additives and colorings. These principles are the very basic principles used over and over many years ago by very traditional diets. Proper Nutrition is the Foundation for Health. There are neither medications nor supplements that will ever replace the needs for Healthy Foods and Healthy Eating Habits. We have to go back to the basic principles applied by our mothers, grand mothers and great grand mothers. It is up to us to choose what we want to eat to be healthy, stay healthy, raise healthy children, and avoid being a victim of a system that we don’t embrace. It is always a question of personal choice and personal decision to what we want for ourselves and our families. If you want to be Healthy, then Eat Healthy. There is no other way! *** *** ***
WE ARE MOVING OUR OFFICE We are pleased to announce that we are moving into a larger suite of offices. And for this, we have YOU to thank! Thanks to all of our patients who continue to recommend my practice to their families and to their friends, Monterey Bay Naturopathy has simply outgrown its present location (we have been in this location six years). We are moving DIRECTLY ACROSS THE STREET to 1011 Cass Street, Suite 107. Our telephone number will remain the same (831-642-0202). You can enter the parking lot for 1011 Cass Street either directly from Cass Street (the driveway entrance is just above (east of) 1011 Cass Street or from Carmelito Avenue. The Carmelito parking lot entrance is at mid-block on Carmelito Avenue. In either case, enter the building from the back (from the parking lot). Suite 107 is on the GROUND FLOOR (Yippie!), the second Suite on the right. There is a directory at the rear entrance that reads, BEATRICE LEVINSON, NATUROPATH. Our moving schedule is as follows: WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO RECEIVING YOU AT OUR NEW ADDRESS:
Yours in Health,
The entire contents of HEALTH AWARENESS are based upon the opinions of Beatrice Levinson, Naturopath, unless otherwise indicated. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as an offering and sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Beatrice Levinson, Naturopath within the U.S. and Europe. Beatrice Levinson, Naturopath encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.
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